Jefferson-Lincoln Awards

The seventeenth annual Jefferson-Lincoln Awards: An Evening to Honor Lives of Public Service gala was held on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at The Inn at Spanish Bay.

This year’s honorees were Tom Carper, United States Senator (D), Delaware; Lisa Murkowski, United States Senator (R), Alaska; Sam Farr, United States Representative (D), 20th District, California; Fran Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (2004-2008); and Robert Mueller, Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (2001-2013).

United States Senator Tom Carper has spent the last forty years working to develop practical solutions to the problems facing the state of Delaware and the nation. A twenty-three year Navy veteran, Senator Carper served three tours of duty during the Vietnam War. His public service career began in 1976 when he was elected at the age of twenty-nine to the first of three terms as Delaware’s state treasurer. Six years later, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served five terms and earned a reputation as a results-oriented centrist.

Senator Tom Carper flanked by Secretary and Mrs. Panetta.

In 1992, Senator Carper was elected as the seventy-eighth governor of Delaware and served two terms pursuing a common sense agenda that led to eight balanced budgets, tax cuts in seven of those eight years and major increases in employment. On January 3, 2001, Governor Carper stepped down to become Delaware’s junior United States senator. He was reelected in 2006 and in 2009 became Delaware’s senior senator when United States Senator Joe Biden left the position to serve as vice president.

Earlier this year, Senator Carper returned to Vietnam where he was recognized by President Obama for his work with Senator John McCain and Secretary of State John Kerry to help normalize relations with Vietnam as a means of obtaining information to assist in the search for missing United States service members.

Senator Carper is the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and also serves on the Finance Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee. He has a B.A. in economics from The Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Delaware.

Senator Lisa Murkowski

United States Senator Lisa Murkowski has a voting record that is among the most bipartisan in Congress. She is admired for her intelligence, professionalism and ability to broker deals. As Alaska’s senior senator, she is a strong advocate on issues including energy, healthcare, education, military and veterans’ affairs, infrastructure development and protecting our oceans and natural resources.

In her early career, Senator Murkowski practiced law and served three terms in the Alaska State House of Representatives. She was appointed to the United States Senate in 2002, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of her father and was re-elected in 2004. In 2010, she collaborated with Democrats on a public-lands bill that created two million acres of wilderness and 1,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers.

During her 2010 reelection campaign, Senator Murkowski was challenged for her party’s nomination by a tea party candidate who argued that, “compromise is destroying the nation.” Following her defeat in the primary, Senator Murkowski launched a historic and successful write-in campaign and was re-elected to the Senate for a second full term.

In 2014, Senator Murkowski helped negotiate an impressive 169-page package of development and land-protection bills during one of the worst stalemates in congressional history. In 2015, she became the first Republican to co-sponsor the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, which compels states with a well-documented history of recent voting discrimination to receive federal approval of future voting changes and for voter ID laws along with outlawing new efforts to suppress the growing minority vote.

As chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment, Senator Murkowski is working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect our oceans and natural resources, and create a comprehensive update of America’s energy policy. Senator Murkowski earned a B.A. in economics from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

United States Representative Sam Farr has served at the local, state and federal levels of government, building a nearly fifty-year career in public service. In his work he has developed a reputation as a pragmatic legislator, a leading advocate for California agriculture, an outspoken activist for affordable housing and veterans rights, and a champion of the oceans and protection of other natural resources.

Congressman Sam Farr is honored by Secretary and Mrs. Panetta.

First entering public service in 1964 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Colombia, Congressman Farr went on to spend a decade as an aide in the California State Assembly before winning election as a Monterey County supervisor in 1975. Six years later, he was elected to the California Assembly by the twenty-eighth district. He held that seat for a dozen years. In 1993, following a special election featuring twenty-six opponents, Congressman Farr was elected to the seat in the United States House of Representatives formerly held by Secretary Panetta.

In addition to other committee assignments, Congressman Farr serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and is the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Food and Drug Administration.

Among his many legislative accomplishments Congressman Farr has formed bipartisan coalitions in his work to protect the health of the oceans and the agricultural industry. He is the founder of the bipartisan House Oceans Caucus and has secured funding for development of a variety of oceans programs. He has also introduced numerous pieces of ocean legislation, including The Oceans Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act. Many of this bill’s provisions were included in President Obama’s Executive Order that established the first National Ocean Policy. His strong support for veterans was critical in establishing the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery and the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic. He has a B.S. from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon and attended the Monterey Institute of International Studies and the University of Santa Clara.

Frances Townsend is a leader in national security who has worked across party lines to address some of the world’s most complex and volatile security issues.

Ms. Townsend began her career as a prosecutor in 1985 in New York. She then held positions in the Office of the Attorney General and United States Attorney’s Office in New York. She spent thirteen years at the Department of Justice during the administrations of President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush. Before joining the Bush administration, she served as the original first assistant commandant for intelligence of the United States Coast Guard.

Ms. Townsend first joined the Bush administration in 2003 as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for combating terrorism. In 2004, she was appointed homeland security advisor and served in that position for four years.

As President Bush’s leading terrorism adviser, Ms. Townsend’s responsibilities included, among other duties, issuing periodic reports on the threat to domestic security in the post-9/11 era and following intelligence on the strength and activities of al-Qaeda.

Currently an on-air senior national security analyst for CBS News, Ms. Townsend previously spent seven years at CNN. She regularly appears on network and cable television as a foreign policy, counterterrorism, national and homeland security expert. She has a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in psychology from American University. She received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Robert Mueller III assumed office as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) one week before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He would become the longest-serving director since 1968 and is widely credited with transforming the organization while maintaining the ideals of fidelity, bravery and integrity.

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller and Secretary Panetta.

Mr. Mueller served in the Vietnam War as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and was honored for his service with the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

Following his military career, Mr. Mueller became a prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Offices, first in the Northern District of California in San Francisco and then in Boston. In 1998, Mr. Mueller was named United States Attorney in San Francisco and held that position until 2001. He served briefly as acting deputy attorney general for the United States Department of Justice before President George W. Bush nominated him to become director of the FBI.

Mr. Mueller’s tenure at the FBI is credited with reshaping the Bureau from a traditional law enforcement agency to a threat-focused, intelligence-based national security organization focused on prevention rather than reaction. Working under both Democratic and Republican administrations, Mr. Mueller reformed the Bureau by moving 2,000 agents from criminal investigations into counterterrorism and national security.

Mr. Mueller grew up outside of Philadelphia. He received his B.A. in politics from Princeton University in 1966 and later earned a M.A. in international relations at New York University.

The Jefferson-Lincoln Awards are presented each year to individuals whose professional achievements represent exceptional commitment to the principles of our democracy and a dedication to encouraging the healthy function of the United States system of government through an informed electorate.

The gala evening featured the presentations of awards as well as an outstanding four-course, gourmet dinner with fine wines prepared by honored local and visiting chefs.

The Jefferson-Lincoln Awards celebration is the Panetta Institute’s major fundraising event of the year, and helps support the many programs that promote the Institute’s goal of enhancing public policy and attracting thoughtful men and women to lives of public service.

The gala and dinner serve as the Panetta Institute’s major yearly fundraiser.

Sponsorship

The Jefferson-Lincoln Awards are made possible thanks to the generosity of a variety of individuals and organizations who have joined a growing list of sponsors and hosts for the event. For information about becoming a sponsor for next year’s event, please contact the Panetta Institute at 831-582-4200.